Drum sets are regularly used by percussionists in various types of music. It is often necessary to move these drum sets from location to location for gigs, concerts, practice or recording sessions. This process can be difficult because of the bulkiness of the pieces and time consuming because of the large number of individual pieces which need to be moved and then reset to the drummer or percussionist's specifications. In an attempt to facilitate this process, various steps have been taken to reduce the number of individual pieces involved and the space needed to accomodate them, and as a result, reduce the amount of time incurred in the move. The following patents illustrate such attempts.
Kjelstrom U.S. Pat. No. 3,433,115 discloses a collapsible support structure that permits the drum stand to be dismantled into relatively small pieces for transportation and storage. Specifically, the collapsible support structure includes a stanchion extending upward from a base structure, a support head on the upper end of the stanchion, and an array of percussion instruments carried by the support head. Advantageuosly, the drum stand may be dismantled into parts that are small enough to fit into a relatively small carrying case, however, the drum heads must still be carried separately to move the entire set. Also, a great deal of time is needed to break down and set-up the drum set.
Willis U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,414 discloses a foldable drum support assembly having a pair of support frames hinged to a center post. The support frames may be folded toward one another to assume the storage or travel position. When in use, a set of bass drums must be in place on the support frames. These may be removed during the storage and travel periods. The additional drum heads and/or cymbals must be removed, separately packaged, transferred, and replaced resulting in numerous individual cases to be tranferred and a great deal of time for the percussionist to break down and set-up.
May U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,611 discloses an electronic percussion instrument including a base supporting a plurality of percussion heads on removable standards. The bottom section of each standard is seated within a rotatable, spherical support. The upper portion of each standard is designed to receive one of the percussion heads thereon. For transportation and/or storage, the seat and each of the percussion heads must be manually removed and placed within compartments in the base. Each of the standards retracts into the base and the base itself folds in half. Although this system is more compact than those previously described, a great deal of time is still required for breaking down and reassembling the set.
Battle U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,821 discloses a mounting arrangement for percussion instruments. The instrument uses a set of tubular drums mounted on supporting devices which are in turn supported by vertical supporting rods. This mounting arrangement is adjusted upon the initial set-up and then is left in one place unless it is mandatory to move it, in which case a great deal of time and effort is needed.